Driftwood

[charliecanskatesome]

Does driftwood make your water cloudy? I have had driftwood in my 55 gallon for a few weeks and i noticed tat the water was getting VERY cloudy. So, thinking it was the wood, i took it out. It still remained cloudy. I pretty sure its not tannin stains because its sort of a white cloudiness not yellowish orange. I purchased 3 filters from wal-mart for 25$ (there was a sale) and it seems to be clearing up. But i wasn't sure if it was the wood or not because i thought filters only removed organic material. Before i put the wood in i pressure washed it and cleaned it and let it soak in hot water for a day. Any ideas?

 

[Jen]

I have read on here that people soak their drift wood for months, with changing the water all the time. You may not have left it in long enough

 

[modernhamlet]

White cloudiness sounds more like a bacterial bloom than driftwood tannins. How long has your tank been setup?

 

[Captain Canuck]

I would agree with modernhamlet's assessment, sounds like bacteria. I had tannin troubles for a couple of weeks and my water looked like watered down tea during that time. Carbon should also help remove tannins from the water it that is what it is.

 

[charliecanskatesome]

Then can you tell me how to annhilate the bacterial bloom it seems to be a problem in almost all my tanks. Its so fricken annoying. The water is getting clearer from the massive amount of filters i installed but it is still noticably cloudy/

 

[Captain Canuck]

Sorry ( ), anytime my tanks have become cloudy with bacterial bloom it has always cleared in a day or so.
I think you are okay as long as all your water parameters are still good, I'd let the filters run a few days and see if it clears up.
Maybe someone else has better input on this though?

 

[Pescado Guy]

Could it be an ammonia spike? I don't think the cloudiness has anything to do with the driftwood. I would put a piece of driftwood in a small clear container and let it soak for a while without filters. In a week or so, see how the water looks.

Kevin

 

[charliecanskatesome]

Ok the water randomly turned crystal clear overnight so its not a problem anymore.